3-Day Paris Itinerary - Classic Sights Without the Tourist Traps

8:30 AM - Eiffel Tower. Book summit tickets online 60 days ahead (€26.80). Take the stairs to the 2nd floor (€11.30) for a workout and shorter queues. Morning light makes for better photos than sunset (less haze). 11:00 AM - Walk through Champ de Mars to Les Invalides. Napoleon's tomb is inside — €15, worth 45 minutes. The gilded dome is Paris's second most recognizable silhouette. 12:30 PM - Lunch on Rue Cler (7th arr.) — a market street with fromageries, bakeries, and wine bars. Grab a croque-monsieur and pastry for €8-12 total. 2:30 PM - Musée d'Orsay. Skip the main entrance — use the side entrance on Rue de la Légion d'Honneur (much shorter line). Focus on Level 5 for Impressionists (Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh). €16, free first Sunday of each month. 5:00 PM - Walk along the Seine to Pont Alexandre III (Paris's most beautiful bridge). Continue to Place de la Concorde. 7:30 PM - Dinner in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Avoid tourist traps on the main boulevard — duck into side streets. Bouillon Racine (€18-25 mains) offers Art Nouveau interiors and classic French food at reasonable prices.

9:00 AM - The Louvre. Enter via Passage Richelieu (almost no line) or Porte des Lions, NOT the pyramid. Must-sees in 2.5 hours: Mona Lisa (quick look, then move on), Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, and the Napoleon III Apartments. €22. 12:00 PM - Walk through Tuileries Garden to Place Vendôme (window-shopping at its finest). 1:00 PM - Lunch in the Marais (3rd/4th arr.). L'As du Fallafel on Rue des Rosiers for the famous €8 falafel, or Breizh Café for buckwheat galettes (€12-16). 2:30 PM - Explore the Marais on foot: Place des Vosges (Paris's oldest planned square), Musée Carnavalet (free! Paris history museum), and the quirky shops on Rue des Francs-Bourgeois. 4:30 PM - Notre-Dame exterior (still under reconstruction but the square and surrounding Île de la Cité are beautiful). Walk across to Shakespeare & Company bookshop. 6:00 PM - Metro to Montmartre. Climb to Sacré-Cœur for sunset over Paris. Explore Place du Tertre (artists' square), Moulin Rouge exterior photo, and the vineyard of Montmartre. 8:30 PM - Dinner on Rue des Abbesses — the locals' Montmartre, away from tourist-trap Place du Tertre. Le Coq Rico for rotisserie or Pink Mamma (Italian, book ahead).

8:00 AM - RER C to Versailles-Château (40 min, €7.10 return). Arrive for 9 AM opening to get 1-2 hours before bus tour groups flood in. Focus on: Hall of Mirrors, King's Grand Apartments, then escape to the gardens. The Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoinette's Estate are peaceful and uncrowded. €21 for palace + estate. Tip: Tuesday and Sunday are most crowded. Go Monday (gardens only, palace closed), Wednesday, or Thursday. 1:00 PM - Return to Paris. Lunch in Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood (10th arr.) — trendy, local, and away from tourist Paris. Chez Prune for canal-side coffee or Du Pain et des Idées for legendary pastries. 3:00 PM - Choose your vibe: - Culture: Musée de l'Orangerie (Monet's water lilies, €12.50) or Centre Pompidou (modern art + rooftop view, €15) - Shopping: Le Marais boutiques or covered passages (Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas) - Relaxation: Luxembourg Gardens with a book and a crêpe 7:00 PM - Final dinner: splurge at a bistro. Le Comptoir du Panthéon (€25-35 mains), Chez Janou (legendary chocolate mousse), or Bouillon Chartier (historic workers' canteen, €12-18 mains in a stunning 1896 hall).

Metro: Buy a Navigo Easy card (€2) and load individual tickets (€2.15 each) or a pack of 10. The Navigo Week pass (€30.75, Monday-Sunday) is worth it if you're riding 4+ times daily. Museum Pass: Paris Museum Pass (2 days €62, 4 days €77) pays for itself if you visit 3+ museums. Includes skip-the-line at most venues. Free days: First Sundays: Orsay, Orangerie, Pompidou are free. Under 26 and EU resident? Most national museums are always free. Eating cheap: Boulangeries (bakeries) sell sandwiches for €4-6. Supermarkets (Franprix, Monoprix) have ready meals for €3-5. Avoid any restaurant with photos on the menu or a waiter standing outside recruiting. Daily budget: €80-120 realistic for budget (hostel + bakery lunches + one museum + one nice dinner). €150-250 for comfortable mid-range.